Building automation system data management

• US 20070055758A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Eiynk, Benedict, Richards, David, McCoy, Sean, Mairs, Susan
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A building automation system (BAS) comprising a plurality of end devices, at least one communication network, and a protocol-independent server engine. In one embodiment, the BAS comprises real and non-real end devices. In another embodiment, the BAS comprises real and virtual end devices. The BAS may also comprise a user interface.

Claims

1. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of real end devices each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus;

a communication network communicatively coupling the plurality of real end devices and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability;

a protocol-independent server engine communicatively coupled to the communication network and adapted to selectively implement the dynamic extensibility capability to establish communications with and to control the real end devices and to selectively implement the automatic configuration capability to determine at least one characteristic of each of the real end devices, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises a metadata descriptor of a relative state of the end device within the BAS; and

at least one non-real end device instantiated and defined within the server engine and associated with at least one of a real end device, a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus,

wherein the server engine is adapted to derive the non-real end device from an algorithmic relationship based at least in part upon the at least one of the real end device, a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus associated with the non-real end device, and wherein the server engine is adapted to redefine the non-real end device in accordance with the dynamic extensibility capability and the automatic configuration capability.

2. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the plurality of real end devices are selected from the set consisting of:

a panel, a sensor, a controller, a microprocessor-controlled device, a converter, a thermostat, a furnace, a heating system, a chiller, a cooling system, an air conditioner, an air filter, an air purifier, a fire and life safety system, a security system, an alarm system, an occupancy sensor, an electrical system monitor and controller, a lighting system monitor and controller, a ventilation system monitor and controller, a smoke sensor, a light sensor, a motion sensor, a humidity sensor, a pump, an air handler, fluid and air moving and handling equipment, a terminal device, life science and pharmacological control equipment and monitoring systems, a positive pressure clean room, a negative pressure clean room, industrial automation and control equipment and systems, and a programmable logic controller.

3. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-real end device comprises a dynamic value related to at least one of a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus.

4. The BAS of claim 3, wherein the server engine is adapted to derive the non-real end device by calculating a dynamic value from at least one characteristic of at least one real end device.

5. The BAS of claim 1, further comprising a user interface adapted to present the non-real end device as a real end device.

6. The BAS of claim 5, wherein at least one characteristic of each of the plurality of real end devices comprises an actual end device type, wherein at least one of the real end devices comprises a virtual end device having an alternate end device type different from the actual end device type of that end device, wherein the server engine is adapted to control the virtual end device according to the actual end device type, and wherein the user interface is adapted to present and receive data and information relating to the virtual end device according to the alternate end device type.

7. The BAS of claim 6, wherein the alternate end device type is user-specified in the user interface.

8. The BAS of claim 7, wherein the user specification of the alternate end device type is a global specification based on an end device characteristic, wherein the server engine is adapted to control all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type, and wherein the user interface is adapted to present and receive data and information relating to all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type.

9. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of real end devices each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus;

a communication network communicatively coupling the plurality of real end devices and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability;

a protocol-independent server engine communicatively coupled to the communication network and including

programming means for implementing the dynamic extensibility capability to establish communications with and to control the real end devices, and

programming means for implementing the automatic configuration capability to determine at least one characteristic of each of the real end devices, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises a metadata descriptor of a relative state of the end device within the BAS; and

at least one non-real element instantiated and defined within the server engine and associated with at least one of a real end device, a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus,

wherein the server engine includes

programming means for deriving the non-real element based at least in part upon the at least one of the real end device, a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus associated with the non-real end device, and

programming means for redefining the non-real element in accordance with the dynamic extensibility capability and the automatic configuration capability.

10. The BAS of claim 9, wherein the server engine further includes programming means for deriving the non-real element by calculating a dynamic value from at least one characteristic of at least one real end device.

11. The BAS of claim 9, further comprising user interface means for presenting the non-real element as a real end device.

12. The BAS of claim 11, wherein at least one characteristic of each of the plurality of real end devices comprises an actual end device type, wherein at least one of the real end devices comprises a virtual end device having an alternate end device type different from the actual end device type of that end device, wherein the server engine further includes programming means for controlling the virtual end device according to the actual end device type, and wherein the user interface means further comprises means for presenting and receiving data and information relating to the virtual end device according to the alternate end device type.

13. The BAS of claim 12, wherein the alternate end device type is user-specified in the user interface.

14. The BAS of claim 13, wherein the user specification of the alternate end device type is a global specification based on an end device characteristic, wherein the server engine further includes programming means for controlling all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type, and wherein the user interface means further comprises means for presenting and receiving data and information relating to all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type.

15. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of real end devices each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus;

a communication network communicatively coupling the plurality of real end devices and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability;

a protocol-independent server engine communicatively coupled to the communication network and adapted to selectively implement the dynamic extensibility capability to establish communications with and to control the real end devices and to selectively implement the automatic configuration capability to determine at least one characteristic of each of the real end devices, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises an actual end device type; and

a user interface communicatively coupled to the communication network and adapted to present and receive data and information relating to the BAS;

wherein at least one of the plurality of real end devices having an actual end device type comprises a virtual end device, and wherein the virtual end device comprises an alternate end device type that is different from the actual end device type,

and wherein the server engine is adapted to control the virtual end device according to the actual end device type and the user interface is adapted to present and receive data and information relating to the virtual end device according to the alternate end device type.

16. The BAS of claim 15, wherein the alternate end device type is user-specified in the user interface.

17. The BAS of claim 15, wherein the user specification of the alternate end device type is a global specification based on an end device characteristic, wherein the server engine is adapted to control all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type, and wherein the user interface is adapted to present and receive data and information relating to all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type.

18. The BAS of claim 15, further comprising:

at least one non-real end device,

wherein the server engine is adapted to derive the non-real end device from an algorithmic relationship based at least in part upon the at least one of the real end device, a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus associated with the non-real end device, and

wherein the server engine is adapted to redefine the non-real end device in accordance with the dynamic extensibility capability and the automatic configuration capability.

19. The BAS of claim 18, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises the metadata descriptor.

20. The BAS of claim 19, wherein the at least one non-real end device comprises a dynamic value related to at least one of a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus.

21. The BAS of claim 20, wherein the server engine is adapted to derive the non-real end device by calculating a dynamic value from at least one characteristic of at least one end device.

22. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of real end devices each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus;

a communication network communicatively coupling the plurality of real end devices and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability;

a protocol-independent server engine communicatively coupled to the communication network and including

programming means for implementing the dynamic extensibility capability to establish communications with and to control the real end devices, and

programming means for implementing the automatic configuration capability to determine at least one characteristic of each of the real end devices, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises an actual end device type; and

user interface means communicatively coupled to the communication network for presenting and receiving data and information relating to the BAS;

wherein at least one of the plurality of real end devices having an actual end device type comprises a virtual end device, and wherein the virtual end device comprises an alternate end device type that is different from the actual end device type,

and wherein the server engine includes programming means for controlling the virtual end device according to the actual end device type and the user interface means comprise means for presenting and receiving data and information relating to the virtual end device according to the alternate end device type.

23. The BAS of claim 22, wherein the user interface means further comprise means for accepting a user specification of the alternate end device type.

24. The BAS of claim 22, wherein the user specification of the alternate end device type is a global specification based on an end device characteristic, wherein the server engine further includes programming means for controlling all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type, and wherein the user interface means further comprise means for presenting and receiving data and information relating to all of the plurality of real end devices having the end device characteristic as the alternate end device type.

25. The BAS of claim 22, further comprising:

at least one non-real end device,

wherein the server engine further includes

programming means for deriving the non-real end device from an algorithmic relationship based at least in part upon the at least one of the real end device, a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus associated with the non-real end device, and

programming means for redefining the non-real end device in accordance with the dynamic extensibility capability and the automatic configuration capability.

26. The BAS of claim 25, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises the metadata descriptor.

27. The BAS of claim 26, wherein the at least one non-real end device comprises a dynamic value related to at least one of a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, or a campus.

28. The BAS of claim 27, wherein the server engine further includes programming means for deriving the non-real end device by calculating a dynamic value from at least one characteristic of at least one end device.